Melitia

A friend of mine bought LNOE and allows it to live at our place (score, right?!) and I’m so happy that he did since it probably wouldn’t be a game that I normally would have picked up.

What I love from the start of this game is that you can pick a scenario from the scenario cards to start. Its basically like picking a movie plot for your game. And that’s really what playing this game feels like – like you are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse movie and you’re rushing the clock to escape or accomplish a number of other scenarios.

There are many epic moments to be had like running to the truck with keys and gasoline in hand and escaping with the other humans who are still alive or protecting the manor home from being overrun by zombies. It never fails after completing the game we talk about it afterwards as if it really happened.

As fun as this game is there are a few cons to it. The first is that playing with four heroes and 2 zombies can be incredibly boring – especially if you are a hero. The actions are short and your turn can literally last for 3.5 seconds. The zombies have such an upper hand as well. It’s very difficult to win if you are a human however this could be a pro for some because let’s face it – a hoard of zombies should have the upper hand am I right?! Another draw back for our gaming group was the directions. I don’t know if things were lost in translation but there are many questions that arise that I simply cannot find the answer to in the instruction book.

I find the most enjoyable way to play LNOE is a two player game. This by far is the best scenario as the zombie player and hero player have a balanced turn.

Oh and that soundtrack that comes with the game? Most epic fail ever. One of the worse soundtracks BUT we made our own soundtrack from movies like Friday the 13th and other classic horror films as well as music from The Walking Dead and it adds to the ambiance big time!

I was completely on the fence about buying this game. I am a sucker for great art so that immediately peaked my curiosity. After watching a few instructional videos and a review I decided to go ahead and buy it knowing that the possibility was there that I would hate it.

Components – As I said before the game is beautiful. The only issue I had was the point markers are so incredibly tiny and very easy to lose. I am perplexed as to why they made them so small! The cards are also small – same as Ticket To Ride.

Gameplay – The game objective is simple – have the best experience on your trip from Kyoto to Edo. Sounds boring right? And yet so intriguing at the same time?!

Your journey consists of meeting villagers, taking relaxing baths with monkeys (yep – monkeys!) and collecting hoards of souvenirs and eating some great Japanese cuisine. Completing different tasks like this gives you a different number of points. At the end additional points are added for people who completed different objectives throughout the game such as the person who spent the most on food or the person who collected the most souvenirs.

So what did I think after I played? Well I only played a two player game which has slightly different game rules but I must say I did enjoy it. I felt like it was a relaxing game and yet there was still enough strategy to keep you engaged. Do I block another player so they can’t go to the farm and make some extra cash? Or do I move faster to get to the inn first and get my choice of the best cuisine?

I am saving my score until after I play this weekend with four players. Until then, happy traveling!

Update – The gameplay is more strategic with more players and therefor more enjoyable. After playing this weekend with four we all had a really great time with it and it will be in our regular rotation on gaming weekends! So happy I picked this up!

Our gaming group didn’t have any kids and yet we all own a copy of this. I picked it up many years ago at Toys R Us for about $5 and boy am I happy I did! It’s a light hearted game with a little bit of strategy rolled in. We don’t play it often but when we do we are always happy we did.

As for the game itself rules are easy to learn, the pieces are fun and the mansion being 3D makes the experience that much more enjoyable. Play through is about 45 minutes or so depending on how long your group takes to plan out their turns.

As a designer myself I can appreciate great design and this site has it. There is so much out there in terms of board game review sites but nothing come close to this. I never join anything – I’m not even on Facebook – but I stumbled upon your site today and I’m happy to be apart of it! What a great way to keep track of the games you want to purchase as well.

I’m actually about ready to go out to my LFGS (Local Friendly Game Store) to purchase some games I’ve seen on this site. Keep doing what you do!